


Breath of Time

by ArborealArthropod



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, 鬼滅の刃 | Kimetsu no Yaiba (Manga)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:41:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23527798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArborealArthropod/pseuds/ArborealArthropod
Summary: The boy without a fairy writhed in his sleep. He suffered vivid nightmares of fire engulfing the forest and the lands beyond, of a strange, gangling man with pink eyes and a cruel grin, and of bulbous, malformed humanoid monstrosities eating flesh off the fresh corpses of the peoples of Hyrule.Long-lived as the Kokiri may be, even they had forgotten the existence of demons. But, time never forgets.A retelling of The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, borrowing characters and world-building from Demon Slayer.
Kudos: 4





	Breath of Time

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at writing fiction. This is also the first non-school related writing I've done, so please be gentle! I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: Rot

Seven Kokiri sat cross-legged on the short grass. They were evenly spaced around the circle of stones near the boss’s home. In the dark night, their pale, child-like faces were barely visible in the dull glow of their fairies’ light. Mido sat in the center, arms also crossed, with his fairy perched on his shoulder, as he guided his peers…no, charges, in their breathing practice.

“Extend your senses inward. Feel them expand and spread through your body. Find your tensions, focus on them.” It’s only natural that his charges would be feeling tense in these trying times. A good boss must be able project unwavering strength in the face of uncertainty.

“Extend your senses upward, towards your thoughts. Find your fears and anxieties. Hold them, identify them, put them into words; gather them and shape them.” Of course, they would be afraid! Boss Zain disappeared over a month ago, three more Kokiri were missing, and no one had been able to visit the Great Deku Tree since.

“Inhale, slow and deep. As you exhale, release your thoughts. Focus, and feel the tension leave your body. Inhale again, slower, deeper. As you exhale, release your tensions. Feel your fears dispel alongside them.”

Mido could hear his charges’ breaths, sharp and uneven. He could see their faces creased with worry. He was failing. What would Zain do? What would Saria say?

Mido echoed what he had learned from Saria: “We are children of the forest. Our woods can stretch a single breath through an entire year. Extend your senses outward, feel the grass, the brambles, and the trees. Breathe alongside them, slower, deeper.”

And then Mido did as Zain would, leading by example rather than words.

Mido extended his senses west to Hyrule Field. He breathed with the grasses, and he borrowed their flexibility and resilience.

Mido extended his senses north to the Lost Woods. He breathed with the brambles, and he borrowed their sharpness and cunning.

Mido extended his senses south, to the farthest, most isolated edges of the forest. He breathed with the oaks, and he borrowed their solitude and serenity.

But, when Mido extended his senses to the east, a shudder of dread pulsed through his body. He crept closer to the Great Deku Tree’s grove, his fear mounting as he inched his senses along its roots. A pit of nausea grew in his stomach as he worked his way closer to the trunk. Decay! Rot! Hunger, empty and insatiable! He needed to push through, he needed to reach the tree!  
  
“Mido! Mido! Are you okay? Breathe, Mido!” Another Kokiri had rushed up and was jostling his side. Their fairy was flying erratic loops in front of his face. Mido’s consciousness whipped back to his body. His lungs were on fire. Mido gasped a wretched, desperate breath, and he swung his arm out in panic, shoving the helping Kokiri into the grass.

Another asked cautiously, “Mido, are you alright?” Mido snapped back “I’m fi…” only to spew bile and wet chunks of vomit over the ground.

The gathered Kokiri stared in silence as Mido collected himself, his breathing slowly evening out. 10 seconds…20 seconds…30 seconds. Mido stood up.  
  
“We’re done,” he stated curtly, and he walked out of the circle

“But,” replied one of the Kokiri. Mido turned.

“LEAVE!” bellowed Mido, as he backed his way toward the boss’s home. No one dared make a sound or move an inch until he had disappeared inside.

Startled and afraid, whispering to one another, the gathered Kokiri slowly rose, meandered to their homes, and settled in for an uneasy sleep. Mido, too, crawled into the still-unfamiliar bed in the boss’s home, but he did not sleep. He just lay on his side, crying a puddle into his sheets.

Elsewhere in the village, the boy without a fairy writhed in his sleep. He suffered vivid nightmares of fire engulfing the forest and the lands beyond, of a strange, gangling man with pink eyes and a cruel grin, and of bulbous, malformed humanoid monstrosities eating flesh off the fresh corpses of the peoples of Hyrule.

Long-lived as the Kokiri may be, even they had forgotten the existence of demons. But, time never forgets.


End file.
